


Universal Perfection

by Star_of_Gotham



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: AU, Drabble Collection, M/M, No Smut, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-21 19:41:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3703267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_of_Gotham/pseuds/Star_of_Gotham
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This'll be a series of BillyTeddy drabbles! Each one is independent, and will most likely all be AU's. (Probably) no smut, sorry! The main characters will obviously be Billy and Teddy, with some guest stars thrown in</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, each chapter is unrelated to the others, so keep that in mind when reading! I have about 30 AU's in total, all from tumblr, but realistically you can expect about 10 chapters in this thing.
> 
> The prompt for this chapter: “my friend thought you were cute so she tried to take a picture of you for snapchat and her flash went off but when you looked our way she shoved her phone into my hands and nOW YOU THINK IT’S ME AND OH GOD PLS DON’T BE MAD” au. Enjoy~

                “Ok then Billy, what about that guy?” Kate pointed to a short, macho kind of guy walking into the Nike store one floor down. His tank top was black and white, and his shorts were very, very nylon.

                “Oh god, um, one? Maybe?” Billy was getting tired of this game. Really, _really_ tired of this game. He’d been at the mall all day with Kate, and they’ve done too little shopping. He went with her planning on getting a new sweatshirt and maybe some shirts if Hot Topic got new superhero ones in. He didn’t tell Kate about wanting to visit Hot Topic, but before they even got through the overly-silver doors she had shut him down. ‘Billy Kaplan, if you’re going to get a date then you’re going to have to ditch the fanboy shirts,’ she had said. So he walked with her through several different women’s clothing stores and Victoria’s Secret (something he’s _never_ doing again) until they were hungry. And so they sat, at a table by the railing in the third-floor food court, talking about boys. Well, more like Kate asking Billy questions about boys so that she could help Billy find a date.

                 Honestly, Billy wanted a boyfriend. _Really badly_. But not like this. Kate was just pointing out guys that she wanted Billy to rate, and any of them that Billy gives more than a 6 (she considers that “passing, I guess”) she takes a picture of them and “saves them as references”. Something about her trying to find his type and set him up with the right guy. She was also trying to get him to play down how much of a “comic addict” he was, which put a damper on what he and the other guy had in common. So he grinned and bared it, but his patience is wearing thin and now he just wants to get out of here.

                “Yeah, a one seems about right. Let’s see, oh! Hey Billy,” she said, slyness in her words. “What do you think of _him?_ ” She pointed to a blond hunk looking at his phone only a few tables away.

                “Ten,” Billy answered before thinking. He slapped his hands over his mouth the moment it registered what just happened. Kate’s eyes lit up brighter than the hunk’s hair, and she put on a huge grin.

                “Billy Kaplan, it looks like I found you a date!” She pulled out her phone once more to take a picture, but instead opened up snapchat. “I’m putting this on my story and there’s no stopping me, Kaplan. You can thank me at your wedding when you’re giving your speech on who all helped you get there in life.” She aimed the camera at the guy, and pressed the circle to snap a pic.

                The flash went off.

                Kate jumped and shoved her phone in her pocket faster than Billy thought possible. Billy sat there in muted horror as the blond hunk turned around to make eye contact with him and _oh my god he’s even better looking from the front_. He had perfect blue eyes to match his short, golden hair. Prominent muscles were visible beneath his shirt and his jeans weren’t showing anything bad either. Something flashy caught Billy’s eye, and he noticed a line of earrings going up both of the blond’s ears. He cleared his throat, and Billy saw him look down a bit. What was he looking at? And then it hit him. He had been holding his phone in his hands idly ever since they got to the food court, and the entire situation was laid out in front of him. Kate’s flash went off in snapchat because she was probably taking late-night selfies for Tommy, hid her phone before Billy could get his away too, and now the hottest guy Billy’s ever seen thinks that he took a photo of him. Perfect.

                It didn’t seem like things could get much worse until the hunk got up and started walking over to them. He didn’t necessarily look mad, but overjoyed wasn’t a word Billy would’ve used either. He pulled out the chair opposite of Billy and sat himself down. The entire time Kate was turned and looking away, leaving Billy on his own. When the stranger was settled down, he laughed. That stupid, shining laugh threw Billy way off. He didn’t know what to do, and Kate may as well not be there.

                “I’d tell you to take a picture since they last longer, but that would be redundant, wouldn’t it?”

                Billy felt his face warm up in embarrassment, and he laughed nervously. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was trying to take a selfie with Kate here and things went wrong,” Billy explained, lying poorly. He was never the best at making things up on the spot, and this was the greatest testimony he’s ever had to suffer through to that statement.

                “Billy-” Kate started, but Billy shot her a look. One of those I’m-going-to-kill-you-later-but-for-now-I-need-you-to-shut-up looks he’s known for throughout his apartment.

                The guy gave him a strange look, and laughed again. “Let me take a shot in the dark at what really happened, but stop me if I’m wrong. You two were rating guys, and when she went to take a picture to keep ‘as a reference’ her flash went off.”

                Billy stared with his mouth hanging open. _Great, now he’s gonna beat me up for thinking he’s hot_. “Um…” his face got hotter, and Kate started to giggle. Billy would have to steal her purse later and “forget it” in Hot Topic where she dares not tread.

                “Hey, it’s cool. It’s happened to me before, actually…” the stranger said, his face a little flushed in the cheeks too. “My name’s Teddy, by the way,” he said, offering his hand for Billy to shake.

                “Billy,” Billy blurted, shaking Teddy’s hand and looking him in the eyes. They were nice, and didn’t look mean at all. _Wait, ‘it’s happened to me before’? Does that mean he’s gay? Oh my god what do I do? What do I say now?_ Billy laughed a bit, and then noticed the shirt Teddy was wearing. Like, _actually_ noticed it. It was a Captain Marvel shirt: half black and half red with the yellow star in the middle of it. Before Billy could stop himself, more words poured out of his mouth. “I like your shirt.”

                Teddy looked down to double-check what he was wearing, and looked back up at Billy with a big grin. “Really? Thanks! Not enough people recognize it. I like your bracelet,” Teddy said back, turning Billy’s hand over to show the Scarlet Witch’s face centered on the rubber bracelet Billy had gotten at Hot Topic the last time he went. “I guessed what it was from the comic panels on it. I actually have one of the Hulk back on my nightstand.”

                “Really?” Billy asked back, taking his hand back and turning the bracelet around his wrist so Wanda Maximoff’s face was up. “I bought one of those slap-on bracelets of him for my little brother a while ago. I’ve never seen any others of the Hulk since then,” Billy commented, glad that the conversation was flowing naturally. It could’ve turned out so much worse but it _didn’t_ and he was relaxed and enjoying Teddy’s company.

                “Well, maybe I could show you it sometime,” Teddy responded, winking at Billy. Billy’s heart skipped a beat, and Teddy broke out laughing. “I’m sorry, that was pretty bad wasn’t it?” His laughs died down and he smiled genuinely at Billy. “I’m not the smoothest I guess. But would it be okay if we swapped numbers? I’d love to meet up again. Maybe not because of a camera flash, though.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's au: ‘i’m pretending to be ur bff bc u looked VERY uncomfortable with that person at the bar hitting on u’ AU.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, please feel free to send me any au's or prompts for this! I'd love to add them to the viable list to write! Enjoy~

                The bar wasn’t too busy. A few tables filled with big groups here and there, but mostly just a few scattered people throughout. Billy was sitting at the booth in the back, digging around in his pants to get a grip on his wallet. The gang had ditched him after they were done for the night, and even though he knew he had to cover the bill he wasn’t too happy they’d peeled off without him. He had made a bet with Tommy (or rather, Tommy had harassed him about it for an hour until Billy caved) that he could go one week without any “nerdstuff”. Tommy bet he couldn’t, obviously. The loser would have to pay for everyone to go to the usual after-work, after-dark hangout. And so, after going four days strong, Billy caved and tried to sneak in some contraband: he bought an old Batman comic and stuffed it in his workbag. Long story short, Kate dumped out said workbag and handed over said comic to Tommy.

                So here Billy was; stuck in a bar at eleven, struggling to free his wallet from his skinny jeans (worst decision he’d been talked into by Kate to this day), when a guy decides to introduce himself. He must’ve enjoyed Billy’s sexy I-really-need-my-wallet-but-goddamnit-it’s-not-gonna-happen-at-this-angle show, because before he opened his mouth Billy could hear him getting hit on.

                “Hey, what’s goin’ on?” the guy asked, a crooked grin on his face. Billy looked up at him, and was surprised: the guy could’ve been a _lot_ uglier. He had a tough-guy kinda look to him. Short hair, sharp jawline, nice muscles. His clothes were even nice looking, but it didn’t do much to cover his attitude. But still, Billy could at least spare him a few sentences, leave money with a tip, and get out without consequence, right?

                “My jerk friends ditched me while I payed, and the fashion advice from one of them is making it difficult to pay for their food,” he grumbled, finally working the wallet over the fold in the pocket and through the narrow opening. Just as Billy was about to open it up and use what was left from his last paycheck, the guy’s hand came down to cover Billy’s.

                “My name’s Tyler. How ‘bout I cover that little bill of yours? I can give you a ride and place to crash tonight too, since your friends ditched you. If you know what I mean…?” He grinned slyly again, but this time winked.

                Wrong. There were consequences to Billy sparing him a few sentences and now he had to live with them and he just wanted to _leave_. Billy pulled his hand out from under the creep’s grip, and continued to open up his wallet. “No thanks, my brother’s expecting me back at the apartment by midni-”

                The stranger grabbed his wrist with force; it didn’t hurt, but Billy was definitely getting uncomfortable. No one was paying them any attention, though, because they were in the back. And they were in the back because Kate hates being at the bar, and Eli wanted space from the crowd up front. _Gee guys, thanks for tonight! It was a blast! I got kidnapped from the club after spending $30 on you all! Want to get together next week? Same time, same place?_

                “Hey, I’m trying to be a nice guy here, get it?” He pried Billy’s wallet from his hands, and brought it down to Billy’s jeans. The stranger tucked it partly into Billy’s pocket, and brushed against his thigh on the way up. “I cover the bill, we have some fun after this, what’s the problem?”

                “Maybe the fact that you’re a creep? Just let go of me and I won’t report your sketchy ass to the police for harassment.” Billy started to get up, but it just pushed him against the creeper. He felt a hand reach around his hips to land just above his butt. “H-hey, one inch lower and I’m calling the cops,” Billy warned, his hands trembling. _God, why couldn’t Eli be here? Or America? Damnit, even Tommy could help me right now._

                The guy’s mouth was open, ready to speak, when another stranger walked over. _Great, let’s just have a party!_ Billy couldn’t get a great look at the newcomer, but he could hear his voice perfectly fine. “Hey, you mind telling me why your hands are on Billy?” _Aaand he knows my name. Perfect. Anyone else wanna get involved?_

                “What’s it matter to ya’, huh? He’s bein’ an ungrateful prude while I’m just tryin’ to help him out with his check!”

                “Well that _prude_ is my friend. Now why don’t you shoo, or I’ll call the cops.”

                The guy holding Billy let his hands slack a bit. Billy contemplated making a break for it, but it would just complicate things. _He’s trying to help, just calm down._ While Billy was trying to calm down, the creeper was trying to instigate. “And what’s gonna stop me _before_ the cops come, buddy?” His cocky smile was audible, and Billy was scared things would get physical.

                “These arms aren’t just for show, ‘buddy’. Wanna see what they look like up close?” _Oh my god they’re going to fight and I’m going to get caught in the middle of it and-_

                “Fine, whatever,” the guy holding Billy mumbled, letting go of him and walking away. “I got better things to do anyway!” he exclaimed, slapping some money on the counter and walking out.

                Taking some time to compose himself, Billy patted his pockets to make sure everything was there, then straightened his sweatshirt. When he confirmed that he was alive, well, and in order, he looked at his knight in shining armor for the first time. And wow, was that phrase appropriate. His golden hair matched the “shining” part perfectly, and he plausibly could’ve been a knight.

                “Thanks for that,” Billy said earnestly, holding out his hand. “I’m Billy. Although, I guess, you knew that…?”

                He shook Billy’s hand with a strong, soft grip. “Teddy. And your friends aren’t exactly quiet. I’m just sorry I didn’t help out sooner, honestly. I noticed what was happening a bit too late, I guess. Sorry ‘bout that.” He sounded genuinely apologetic, and Billy was dumbfounded.

                “You shouldn’t! Be sorry, that is. I, uh, wasn’t sure what to do since I’m usually with a group of friends. You saved me though, which I’m really, _really_ glad for. It’s better than you not noticing at all or just letting it happen…” Billy trailed off, realizing he was just going on. He blamed it on post-traumatic stress, but he knew Teddy wasn’t entirely blameless.

                “I’m glad I helped you too,” replied Teddy. “By the way, how much did they leave for you to cover for?” Teddy asked, suddenly changing the subject.

                “Oh, um, like thirty bucks. It’s cool though: I lost a bet and my punishment is monetary sacrifice.”

                Teddy laughed, and Billy just shrugged, taking his wallet out again. This time Teddy put his hand down to stop Billy’s, but it wasn’t in a strict way. “You’ve been through enough tonight. Let me cover that bill for you.” Billy tried to stutter out am argument, but Teddy insisted. “Come on, it’d make me feel better. Besides, you could use that money to buy some better pants, right?”

                “Ha ha,” Billy said back, but letting Teddy pay for the table. He still felt bad about it, but Teddy was insisting and honestly it made Billy’s week look a lot better already. “Well then, anything I can do to thank you? This really means a lot to me, and I’m glad you stood up for me. God knows what that loser’s car would have been like… Probably cheap leather, yeah?”

                “Ha ha ha,” Teddy mimicked back, folding his wallet back up after leaving money for the bill. “How about your phone number? I want to make sure you get home safely. Plus you can hit me up the next time these close friends of yours decide to leave you somewhere and you need someone to help you out.”

                 Billy’s face warmed up for a flash, and he giggled like a teenage girl who just met “the _one_ ” in a school hallway. “That sounds nice. My number is-”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's au: "my parents kicked me out and you’re the only person that bothered to ask the crying, obviously lost kid with a suitcase if something was the matter" au

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire thing is basically angst with some really-needed Billy loving at the end. Enjoy :)

The rain was slowing down. Dark, gray clouds began to brighten up and some rays of sun were poking through the gaps in them. It wasn’t too busy outside because of that, and Billy was glad. He didn’t want anyone he knew seeing him like this; the wet eyes, bulging suitcase, and shaky breaths weren’t good conversation starters today. He walked down the path that lead through the trees, hoping to not make himself a public display. Billy came across a wet bench, and decided that it was as good a place as any to sit down for a minute. The sidewalk he’d ended up taking was one that went not too far into the woods near a park, but came out in an entirely different part of town on the other side. He figured it would be perfect for getting away from home.

He didn’t have one anymore. That thought buried itself in his mind as he didn’t bother to wipe off any water when he sat down on the wooden bench. Billy pulled his red scarf around him tighter, and exhaled into the soft fabric. The warmth from his breath lasted for a second, then faded away. He exhaled again.  _How did this happen?_ Billy mused, head hanging low and rain slowly hitting his jacket’s hood.  _They said they’d love me no matter what. They always seemed so accepting of everything I’d done…_

He replayed the last three hours’ events, unsure of everything in his life up to this point, and scared of what to do next. _I can’t just run off and live on my own, can I? My job barely pays for weekend meals with friends as it is. And what about school? Can I still even show up after getting kicked out of my house? I don’t even have any legal guardians now. Oh god, what is it called… Emancipation? Am I going to have to-_

“Hey, are, uh… Are you okay?”

A male’s voice cut into Billy’s frantic thinking. It pulled him out of his mind, and Billy suddenly realized he was holding onto his head for everything he was worth. He was scared to look up, since he didn’t know who he was talking to or what his face looked like. So he didn’t. He kept his head down, and let go of it. “I guess not,” Billy said, his voice getting caught and cracking partway through. He fingered his scarf with one hand, and wrapped the other arm around his waist defensively. “Sorry…” The words hardly left Billy’s lips they were so quiet, but he knew the stranger had heard him.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, his voice hitting Billy’s ears dully. “Do you mind if I sit down with you?”

Billy looked up at this. He saw a young man, probably about his age, standing in front of him in the rain. His blond hair was matted down with rain, and silver piercings trapped dots of sun on his ears. “I guess,” was all Billy could say.

The stranger walked to sit down next to Billy, careful to go around the suitcase Billy must’ve dropped on the sidewalk when he went into deep thought. It was silent for a few moments, the only sound being the soft patter of rain. “I’m Teddy,” the stranger offered, trying to look Billy in the eyes.

He had put his head back down while Teddy moved to sit, and he stayed that way now. “Billy,” he said back, pulling the scarf down a little to not muffle his words. “Nice to meet you,” Billy said weakly, with no real meaning behind the words.

“I don’t think ‘nice’ would be a good way to put things, Billy. Not when there’s a crying teenage boy with a suitcase and jacket sitting on a bench while it’s raining.” Teddy reached down and righted Billy’s suitcase, setting it next to the sad boy when it was upright and not lying in a puddle.

“Nice is what my parents aren’t either, I guess. Not anymore, at least.” Billy turned partway to Teddy, but failed to meet his eyes: he looked down without seeing anything. “I’m sorry, you don’t want to hear me mumble on,” he apologized. “You can go, I get it. I’ll be fine.”

Teddy moved closer at that. “No, I _care_ about what’s wrong. And I don’t trust you alone out here like this, especially if something happened between you and your parents. I’m all you got for company right now, Billy. Tell me what happened. Please?”

Exhaling deeply, Billy finally went over everything that happened. “Okay. I live with my mom and dad, and two little brothers. I was adopted, but they’d always treated me like I was actually their own. Used to... Anyway, they were usually so full of love and understanding that I felt I could tell them anything. My brothers were gone at a friend’s for the day, and something had been weighing on my mind that I wanted to tell them about. When I told them, they, well, weren’t as full of love and understanding as they usually are. Were...”

Teddy put his hand on Billy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. Really, I am. They sounded like good people, but what did you tell them? If- if you don’t mind me asking. I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, right?”

Billy looked up at Teddy finally. He locked his own teary, red eyes with Teddy’s concerned, blue ones. “I’m gay,” he said, his voice catching and he cracked. Not vocally this time. He felt the tears fall and didn’t try to hold them back. “Bullies at school always tore me down for it,” he said between sobs, “but I always thought that my p-parents would be there for me…” He felt Teddy move closer to him, until he was being hugged by him. And Billy just kept crying and pouring out words. “I never thought that they-they’d be the worst bullies of them all.”

Teddy held him protectively, letting Billy cry and talk and he’d be damned if anything got in between them. He knew they were strangers, but that didn’t change the fact that the boy crying in his arms needed comfort and someone there for him. As the sobbing continued, Teddy moved one hand to go through Billy’s hair. The hood had fallen back, letting the curly brown hair get wet. It felt smooth, and Teddy combed through it with his fingers, all the while saying things into Billy’s hair. “It’s okay,” he’d say, or “You’re still worth it,” and even “I’m here for you.”

Billy didn’t know how long he’d cried, but when he finally stopped he just rested his forehead on Teddy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he croaked, his voice raw from his previous moments.

“Shhh, there’s nothing to be sorry about. Not to me, not to your parents, and not to yourself. Here,” he said, taking a small rag from his jacket pocket and shaking it open. “I keep this with me in case I come across a Bugblatter Beast of Traal, but you can use it if you want.”

Billy smiled softly, accepting the navy-blue rag. “Do you feel happy to make that reference in this situation?” Billy asked, wiping his face down and everything his crying made off.

Teddy took the rag back when Billy was done, folding it neatly into a square and tucking it into the pocket it came from. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know how else to justify bringing around a small towel to someone I just met. Now,” he said, letting go of Billy and taking his hands instead to face him. “Do you need a place to go?”

Billy nodded, tears showing up in his eyes again. “Yeah, I do. I don’t know where though. I’ve been thinking I could-”

“Stay with me,” Teddy said, interrupting Billy apologetically. “You can come to my apartment and meet my mom and have a place to stay for at least the night. She’d understand your situation, believe me: I had to come out to my mom too.” Teddy let that sink in, watching Billy process the offer and information he gave him.

“Thank you,” was all Billy could say. “I don’t know what else I could say, honestly…” He rested his head on Teddy’s shoulder again, hearing thunder rumble in the sky as the waning storm came back to life. He cried as the heavens opened. He cried on Teddy’s shoulder, who stayed there with him until he couldn’t cry anymore. And when Billy was done crying, Teddy helped him up and walked him back to his apartment with his mom. It was a silent walk, with Teddy pulling Billy’s suitcase in one hand and holding Billy’s hand in the other. Billy hardly looked up the whole walk.

When they got to Teddy’s apartment, Billy was shaking. Teddy put his arm around him and rubbed his opposite shoulder empathetically. He opened the door, and let Billy in first, following him with the suitcase. He closed the door after saying “I’m home!” loud enough for his mom to hear. Billy let go of Teddy’s hand and grabbed his suitcase suddenly, unsure of what to do. “It’s okay,” Teddy reassured him, putting his hand on Billy’s shoulder again. “Come on, she’s probably getting dinner started.”

Billy followed Teddy into the apartment timidly, leaving his wet shoes by the door and unzipping his wet jacket. He left the scarf on though: it was too comforting to take off. He was lead into the kitchen where a busy-looking woman was reading through a cookbook and dusting flour off her hands onto an apron. She looked up when Teddy walked in, and smiled when she saw Billy as well. “I didn’t know you were bringing someone home, otherwise I’d have cleaned up a bit!” She started washing her hands off, and Billy immediately felt guilty. “You can call me Mrs. Altman. I don’t really care for my first name at all.”

“H-hi Mrs. Altman,” Billy said with some difficulty. He started to tear up again, and he cursed himself endlessly for it. “I’m Billy.” A tear fell down his cheek, and he wiped it away immediately. Mrs. Altman noticed and her smile turned right into a worried look.

“Oh, is everything all right?” she asked, drying off her hands and moving closer to the two.

Billy started to say something, but Teddy spoke instead. “Billy needs a place to stay for a while. His parents… weren’t as nice to him as you were with me, mom.”

And Billy could see Mrs. Altman’s heart break when Teddy said those words. She rushed over and hugged Billy, but careful not to overdo her motherly instincts. “Billy, I’m so sorry. Please, you can stay here as long as you like. Teddy,” she said, pulling out a chair at the table. “Get the air mattress set up in the living room. And Billy, just sit tight with me in here for a while if you don’t mind. I think after a nice dinner you and Teddy can sleep in the living room tonight if that’s alright. I know it isn’t easy after going through something like you did, and especially alone! You just let me know if you want anything, alright honey?”


End file.
